Volume One: The Nature of the Devil Never Changes
Arc: The Inheritance of the Immortal Shrine
[The Year Passed in Relative Peace]
The year passed in relative peace after the Dragon Gang was dismantled, though there was confirmed information that Tian Lang had reached the eleventh level of the Path Initiation Realm.
Long Wei's whereabouts, however, remained unknown.
Scarlet King also discovered that Long Wei had been using a Mystical Cultivation Art to increase his cultivation speed.
Lin Yuan and Ikalat both broke through to the Path Initiation Realm, while the Yin and Yang Guardians reached the fourth level, and Scarlet King reached the eighth.
Scarlet King also gave Wei Xia Mo the Mystical Shapeshifting Cultivation Art, a Heavenly-Rank art that naturally suited Wei Xia Mo's abilities. As a result, his cultivation rose to the first level of the Path Initiation Realm.
During this period, Scarlet King's relationship with Xiao Mo developed considerably, and she became deeply attached to him.
There was also another girl named Ling Zi, well known among the younger generation for her spiritual power and purple-grade talent. She was the daughter of Qing Mang, the Mistress of the Thousand Flowers Sect.
This caused intense jealousy in someone named Xu Qiang, Tian Lang's heir, whose status had been announced some time before.
He was an extremely arrogant, weak, and conceited young man.
If not for Tian Lang, he would have died long ago.
Scarlet King's plan also succeeded.
Most of the major powers had begun borrowing from one another, as he had taken control of nearly everything capable of generating money for the three sects—the Moon Sect, the Heaven-Grasping Sect, and the Food Sect—with the exception of the Thousand Flowers Sect, which prohibited the presence of men.
The affairs of the Ink Rebirth Darkness Faction were managed excellently by Wei Xia Mo in public and Scarlet King from the shadows.
But eventually, the day Scarlet King had been waiting for arrived.
The day he could finally complete the core plan he had been preparing for a long time.
A demonic smile appeared on his face.
[Several Hours Later, in the Morning]
The sunlight was bright yet cold as Scarlet King, in Gu Yue's form, slowly walked into the Aptitude Testing Hall.
Many elders and disciples were waiting to witness the genius of Lin Yuan's son, as Lin Yuan himself was considered a genius because of his aptitude and roots.
Scarlet King entered the sealed inner testing chamber.
Several minutes later, he came back out.
Outside, the First Elder stared at the written test result in shock.
The words had been formed using Qi.
"..."
He remained silent for several seconds before clearing his throat and announcing, while Scarlet King looked at him:
"Ahem… Gu Yue possesses neither aptitude nor roots."
Shock immediately spread through everyone present except Lin Yuan, Ikalat, Liu Zai Hang, and Wei Xia Mo, who already knew that he possessed neither aptitude nor roots.
Whispers erupted among the disciples.
"Pfft, the genius of the era? More like the trash of the era."
"We thought he would be the greatest among us, only to find out he is the worst."
"What a piece of trash. He relies on his father to rise."
"Looks like he has been using crooked methods to advance so quickly through the cultivation realms."
Scarlet King showed no reaction.
Everyone mocked him harshly while he stood there in silence, staring coldly without expression, both hands behind his back.
"Hah, genius of the era? Maybe we should call him the failure of the era instead."
"Hahaha, looks like he really is a failure. His father is talented, but he is useless… How ridiculous."
"He must have used demonic techniques to raise his cultivation so quickly."
Lin Yuan and Ikalat glanced at each other with slight concern, trying to determine whether Scarlet King was angry.
But when they looked at his expression…
They found nothing but cold, indifferent stillness.
Suddenly, Scarlet King looked to his left.
There stood a white-colored version of himself, identical to his current appearance except that it was crying, its face twisted with terrifyingly obvious pain.
No one except Scarlet King could see it.
"How is this happening to me? Was I not supposed to become the genius of the era, rise to the top, and become the strongest in existence? Why is this happening to me? I abandoned my past and became a good person! Was I not supposed to receive the blessing of existence? Why is everyone laughing at me? Why is everyone mocking me?!"
"Just because I do not have the ability to cultivate does not mean I am a failure…"
Scarlet King simply responded to the foolish reasoning of his sixth incarnation.
"This world is what creates devils, and at the same time, it creates angels. So what is the difference? The world is neutral, and everyone is equal before the laws of nature and in their right to live or die. What difference is there between the death of an emperor and the death of an insect? None. Both are dead."
"The laws of nature are neutral, just like the world. We are all equal before the laws of nature, but we are not equal in what nature grants us. The world is filled with opportunities for everyone, but it does not make access to those opportunities equal."
"The world is filled with infinite opportunities within the life of a single being. The difference lies in whether one possesses the will, perseverance, and stubbornness to pursue those opportunities. That is why we see people walking the same road, yet one fails while another succeeds."
"And yet, we may see someone with tremendous willpower die after being struck by heavenly lightning, while a lazy prince lives a beautiful life."
"The difference is that the world gives some people a reason to advance and gives others nothing. That is not evil on the world's part. It is hierarchy and existential inequality within it. Even so, the world's neutrality does not mean it is just."
"Anyone who falls from a mountain will die, whether innocent or criminal. Both are simply dead. Fate rules and controls. Heaven constructs and creates it, while the earth carries and contains it. Heaven, the world, and fate possess no heart, so why must I possess one?"
Scarlet King spoke again, this time in a calmer voice.
"Do you feel hatred, Sixth Life?"
The sixth Gu Yue screamed:
"Yes! I hate the clan!! I hate everything!! I feel angry… I feel sad, betrayed, and envious! Why does Heaven bless everyone else while imprisoning and punishing me?!"
Scarlet King replied:
"Then hate… but do not let hatred control you the way it controlled someone I know."
"Hate, but persevere."
"Grieve, but persevere."
"Sacrifice, but persevere."
"Do anything… but in the end, you must persevere toward your goal and preserve your selfish hope."
"And care about nothing else."
"We are all merely fish in the same river, swimming against the current."
"And if you are a fish that devours the others… then life was never fair to begin with."
The sixth Gu Yue stared at Scarlet King in shock.
"But… becoming like this is what turned you into a devil… What happened to your promise to Zhou Xiao that you would abandon the path of evil and darkness?!"
Scarlet King replied:
"My promise to Zhou Xiao belongs to a time that can never return."
"And staying in the Gu Yue Clan would have changed nothing. The clan? Charity? Love? All of them are fleeting things that will eventually disappear, leaving you alone above the River of Oblivion that cannot devour you."
"In the end, Zhou Xiao abandoned me."
"So why should I keep a promise to someone who betrayed me?"
"And even if I became a devil… the life of a devil is still better than the life of a kind weakling who gets beaten because of his weakness."
Scarlet King smiled with a demonic expression devoid of mercy or heart.
The sixth Gu Yue incarnation began fading into the air, tears scattering from its face as it spoke its final words.
"Then… persevere."
Scarlet King closed his eyes and thought:
(I think… this makes a difference compared to my old self.)
---
Suddenly, he was transported into an enormous, infinite black void.
(It seems I have entered the Sea of Memories.)
Another version of Scarlet King appeared.
He had white hair, an anguished expression, and eyes overflowing with tears. He wore a black robe over white inner clothing.
"Please… I did not mean it… I did not mean it…"
"I never wanted to be Ghairamengi Darkness…"
"Why does everyone hate me? Why does everyone want to kill me over something I did not do and never chose?"
"It is not my fault that I was born as the darkness of everything… Do I deserve to live through Hell because of that?!"
Scarlet King spoke.
"Oh… So you are me from the past. The life before life, from the moment Darkness fragmented."
Darkness stared at Scarlet King in shock as he continued:
"Being Ghairamengi Darkness was the best possible reality."
"If you had been an ordinary person, I would never have become who I am now… the one who perseveres toward Eternal Rest."
"Where there is life, there is death. Where there is light, there is darkness. Neither can exist without the other. The Rebirth Wheel and I are two sides of the same coin, and the destruction of one of us is inevitable."
"But I do not deny that it is what made me this way. It is what made me desire Eternal Rest. I regret nothing that has happened throughout my existence, because every event shaped me into who I am and drove me to search for Eternal Rest."
"If I wished for a certain event in the past to change, then I would be changing my current, final, stable identity. That would be foolish. No matter what happens to a person, the events of their life will eventually lead them toward their most stable identity. A life without events that change you is nothing but a smooth play."
Darkness screamed:
"What do you know about me?!! What the hell do you know about me?! Nothing!!"
"I really was only doing my job! I do not know why this is happening to me!"
"Why is everyone fighting me?! My role as Darkness is to maintain balance with Light, not to become the target of everyone's hatred!"
"Why am I the rotten, poisonous tree that everyone avoids and tries to destroy?!"
"I hate… I hate myself… I hate everything."
Scarlet King replied:
"Self-hatred is like sentencing yourself to death."
"At that point, no one can help you except yourself."
"Do not be like the giant tree waiting to be cut down."
"Rip out your roots and move."
"Persevere for your goal."
"Disappoint the world before the world disappoints you."
"And you… the world has already disappointed you."
"So disappoint it in return."
"Look at me. I would rather disappoint the world than allow the world to disappoint me."
"And there is no need for anything except Eternal Rest."
Then he smiled with cold mockery.
"And besides… you are pathetic, my past self."
"Are you really making all this drama just because they betrayed you?"
Darkness's expression turned into cold shock as his tears began to dry.
"They betrayed you?"
"Betray them."
"You trusted them? Do not repeat that mistake."
"You loved? Lock away your emotions and turn them into feelings for Eternal Rest."
"You hated? Hate everything because Eternal Rest does not exist."
"You were sad? Then be happy in your pursuit of Eternal Rest."
"It does not matter whether you are Darkness, a monster, or a human. What matters is that you remain yourself, become what you want to be, and seek what you desire."
"How pathetic you are, my past self…"
Darkness spoke quietly:
"That is funny…"
"I am the past… and the future pities me."
Darkness asked:
"What should I become?"
Scarlet King placed his hands behind his back, closed his eyes, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
"Become someone beyond repair."
Darkness fell silent for a while before finally speaking.
"It seems there truly is no path… except the path toward Eternal Rest."
"And liberation from all heavenly restraints."
Darkness's body began breaking apart.
Clear white cracks appeared across him.
He stared at them in fear, but before he could react, his body split into eleven pieces.
The fragments scattered and disappeared.
Scarlet King remained standing there and sighed.
"Life…"
Then he continued:
"Life is as heavy as a mountain, while death is as light as a feather. Humans fear the hardships of life even though they are heavier than death itself. Death is light, but people fear something even more than death—the moments that precede it."
"Death is quick, but the moment before death is what terrifies them. And what everyone fears has become nothing more than a theatrical scene repeated before my eyes."
---
Scarlet King returned to cold reality.
His expression…
was completely empty.
He merely stared coldly, almost absent-mindedly, into the distance.
[Three More Months Later]
During those months, Scarlet King remained heavily intoxicated, drinking four cups of wine every hour.
Most disciples believed he had fallen into severe depression.
[At One Point]
Several disciples watched Scarlet King drinking wine, the liquid spilling from his mouth onto his clothes while he showed no concern.
One disciple said:
"It is sad. Even though his aptitude and roots are both zero, he is still extremely strong."
Suddenly, a wolf attacked Scarlet King.
Scarlet King raised his arm and unleashed an energy wave that erased half the forest.
The disciples watching him opened their eyes wide.
"He is not extremely strong… He is overwhelmingly strong."
---
Some time later, shocking news spread throughout the entire First Dimension.
[At the Thousand Flowers Sect and Heaven-Grasping Sect]
Two guards stepped before their respective leaders, Qing Mang and the First Elder of the Heaven-Grasping Sect, and spoke at the same time.
"We found the Young Lady dead inside a cave alongside Xu Qiang's corpse."
Xiao Mo, Ling Zi, and Xu Qiang had died inside a remote cave.
The bodies of the two girls were discovered with their clothes torn, while a sword had been driven into Xu Qiang's chest.
The Heaven-Grasping Sect and Thousand Flowers Sect immediately declared war on the Moon Sect, accusing Tian Lang's heir of killing the two girls before being stabbed through the chest and dying at the last moment.
Especially since tensions between the sects had already been extremely high.
And so, the great war between the sects began.
Because of the debts between them, disputes intensified, and the Food Sect entered the war as well.
It had lent money to both the Heaven-Grasping Sect and Thousand Flowers Sect, so it joined their side in accordance with a famous saying:
"When you lend someone a small amount of money, you own them. When you lend them a large amount, they own you."
If those two sects lost and collapsed, the Food Sect would lose all the money it had lent them because there would be no one left to repay it.
During this period, Scarlet King was also accused.
However, he possessed several convincing arguments proving that he had nothing to do with the incident.
He had been heavily intoxicated inside his own sect, and there were witnesses who had seen him doing nothing but drinking.
His relationship with Xiao Mo and Ling Zi had also been extremely good.
So why would he kill them?
Furthermore, during the time of their deaths, he had been inside the faction headquarters and had never left.
[One Week Later]
Scarlet King stood in his adult form in the middle of the night.
Moonlight reflected across the ground while the wind shook the nearby trees.
The flute rested in his hand.
Behind him stood Liu Zai Hang, Ikalat, and Lin Yuan.
Wei Xia Mo had remained at the sect to manage the faction in Scarlet King's absence.
Liu Zai Hang asked:
"Why did you bring us here? Wait… Is that one of the Immortal musical instruments of the Immortal Shrine?!"
Scarlet King answered:
"Yes. And now I am going to play it, and we are entering the shrine."
Lin Yuan asked:
"I do not understand."
Ikalat folded his arms across his chest.
"There is no need to understand right now. What matters is that we are going to get treasures."
Liu Zai Hang spoke:
"But the time for the worldwide performance has not arrived yet."
Scarlet King raised the flute to his lips.
"I contacted a powerful white figure and asked him to reach everyone who possesses one of the musical instruments so they would all play them one week later."
Scarlet King thought:
(Well, it is good that I contacted the Writer and had him inform them. It is also good that he did not object. Convincing him was easy—once we enter the shrine, there will be interesting events for him to write about, so naturally, he did not refuse.)
"And now that one week has passed, we will play the instruments and enter the shrine."